New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-14
SPIES IN SECRET PLACES.
ANERA OF ESPIONAGE IN EUROPEAN DI
PLOMACY.

P"o" Az BRUssELs July 90
aCan spy be q hero and martyrr asks The
North herman Gazette" in outburst OF virtuous
Indignation, apropos OF the comments OF the French
press on the conviction OF NJ. Kein who recently
condemned to six years hard labor by the Imperial
German Tribunals.
The question is, indeed, a Difficult. to answer.
What 10 the intel gcnce department of an army
What the naval and military attaches OF the
Embassies They constitute the principal features OF
the spy system and yet no ono would venture TO say
that the generals at tho head OF the intelligence do
pAr.msnts at Berlin, Vienna, Paris, London, ST
Petersburg ard Rome, or the distinguished heid
ooers selected Tor the post, OF Military attaches 10
the Embassies, incapable OF becoming heroes or
II need be- martyrs. Both the Intelligence depart
nents and the functions OF military at'acnes nave
been constituted oI the purpose OF ierretng
out by every means the military secrets OF foreign
countries. Their svowed OBJECT Is to ACQUIRE q
knowledge OF every weakness as we'll as OF every al
vantage of the respective military ana defensive
ORGANIZATIONS so that in the event OF war they may
be able 70 use the insight thus obtained to the detr
men, OF the enemy. Nevertheless, these gentlemen
display the greatest repugnaDce 20 have II even In
any way limited that they form part OF spy system.
The 81. Petersburg papers announce that Colonel
de Villaume, the military attache OF the German
Embassy at the Court of the Car, has just begun
lawsuit for criminal libel against NJ SaN ourne the
proprietor, and NJ Federoe, the managing editor OF
the sNovoe vremya," for the publication OF a most
remarkable article the German system abroad,
wherein he is designated as one OF the heads OF the
detachment delegated for duty in Alexander Ills
domnions. The "Novoe VIemya" a most i'm
portant Russian newspaper, being practically speak
ing, the Muscovite prototype OF The London Times
It's close relations with the Government and the
notoriou, strctness of the imperial cersor OF the
press give particular significance to the article CON-
blamed OF by Colonel de villaume. The following
extracts thereirom are of especial interest:
The Intelligent Bureau it is called at Berlin
dsposes of funds to the annual amount OF 5000 600
marks which ale derived from the interest OF the
sequestercd property of the Royal family OF Han
over The chiefs OF this bureau are two III humber
namely. Counsellor Humbest, who is Director of the
Per,onnel at the Ministry OF Foreign Affairs, ana
General Won Holleben, ct the QuarIerma gs
are under the immediate orders OF Prince Bismarck,
20 whom slone they are accountable. The spice are
divided into Numerous Glasses. The principal VI
these are compossd of staff officers OF the army,
Government officials often OF high ranK artists pro-
fessiona men, ladies OF the grand monde and ire
ouently even ladies OF the denmonde They are
selected according their special apttudes and are
disseminated in every capital OF Europe An immense
number are stationed at Paris. They insinuate
themselves everywhere in the most clever manner,
and several OF them figure as financial packers anu
insJrers of some of the principal newspapers OF the
French metropolis. In tact, the strange attitude OF
two OF the great Boulevard journals during the
SchnaebeIes incident few months agon entirely
attributable to this The women piay gfea, ,G,e IN
terms with Government officials and Influential
statesmen and are ready to 60 TO any lengths pro-
yding only they get hold OF the information they
are alter Then there are a number OF agents"
mostly decKed out In more or less authentic nooiary
titles and dsposiug OF large sums OF money, whose
srecai duty it Is to Ingratate themselves with the
nistresses of wellknown statesmen and TO purchase
from them the import ant Government secrets which
from their lovers The various kinds OF "ageDts
above described make point OF avoiding AL pubic
intercourse with the German Enoa ana very
rarely permit themselves to speak herman. ihey
send their reports and correspondence direct TO
their chiefs at Berlin by means OF secret cipher
Their ipstructiops however, are communicated to
Az rhaflv nv he IN q
frequently ignorant OF the gnbc.nce OF the message
which is ordered to deliver The funds are trans
Inltted In the came manner. The "agents" have
ALWAYS in their possession several passports OF Amer
can, Dutch English origin they make it a point OF
the German Foreig IN Office Each foreign country is
divided into 80 many sections. Russia, tor example,
Is cut up into FIVE France INTO twelve, and SPAN into
two. . ,
Then there are what are known as the territorial
spes" namely, persons who settle down in place
and ply trade or profession Tor the purpose OIL Cd
tanning information for the Government These
agents " do not communicate directly with Berlin.
but through the German Consul OF the district who
TO Counsellor Humbert independently either of his
chef the Ambassador OF the Secretary oil State Tor
Foreign Affairs In tact every German s CGnsal
cipher with Counsellor HumbeIt, to whom alone he is
responsible for this p ortlon OF his work.
Each German Embassy and Legation abroad has an
independent corps of spies OF It's own who get paid
either 90 much per month, much for each piece
OF information turn shed. certain number OF them
attache for the purpose of ierreting ont secrets
connected with the War Departments. AL kinds OF
people figure among these Embassy spies. including
even governesses and nurses while hotei-kcepers,
walters beer saloon pi opretOrs and even ordinary
workmen help TO swell the contingent In tact,
almost every male German abroad between the
ages OF twenty an forty belongs to the reserve OF the
Imperial Army and considers II as ptrt OF his mill.
tary obg atoms to ferret out matters Tor the pcneht
of his Gov eminent
The press also plays very important part In TINS
Immense spy system. The Berlin Tsgblatt Is the
CORRESPONDENTS abroad belongs to the spy depart
m.nt In fact the correspondent ot this paper at
Paris has special intelligence bureau ara large
sta of sol distant reporters Paris The correspond
ence dispatches warded TO THE paper are hrsi
submitted to Prince Bism rex Counsellor Humbert,
to be corrected in one sense or another before Deng
pu blished
II this ricture of the German SPY system should be
considered a. exaggerated is only necessary to re-
cali the incident which occurrd when the Champagne
was stranded OF Havre some weeks ago. Among the
damaged and unc aimee baggage OF the cabin asen-
eere " as found a trunk containing complete sets OF
drawings and plans of several important french
ana papers which showed that the luggage
In question belonged to major OF the Prussan mead
quarters staff HIS object in returning bone via
Am erica was evidently to avoid being stopped with
his booty at Franco German frontier The reason
for thus leaving 1t il the hands OF the enemy was that
every trunk had to he opened and Identified before
the owner was allowed to remove IT, Ii s needless TO
sdd that tina staff officer disappeared There Is also
the case OF the Austrian Baroness DE hsula one Oh
the cieyerest spies of the Berlin intelligence bureau
Taking I'D her resiuence Ia Paris, she became &C
ouaInted with General dc Cissey the then Minister OF
War The old fell over head and ears IN
love with her. and she resided in the neghborhood
OF the Elysee he got into the habit OF lunchng at
her house on the DAYS OF the Cabinet meetings at the
Presidential Palace, which always take place at lo
In the morning The Baroness used to receive him in
the drawing-room, where he would leave his hat
gloves and big ministerial portfolio. and then
har 70
aeaner which the hostess generally managed to pro-
long for an hour or more, two or three oil her
assistants disguised servants, would copy and
master the contents OF the portfolio by these means
Prince Bismarck was informed of fthe process verbal
Of esch meeting of the French Cabinet within a few
bour, of its taking place. The manner In which she